Georgina and James tied the knot in the grounds of James's beautiful family farm in Surrey. One of our first weddings of 2022, the setting was perfect for a sunny May tipi wedding. With a fabulous host of incredible suppliers, this was a wedding that was worth the wait - full of love, laughter and lots of dancing....even during the ceremony!
Congratulations Georgina and James x
3 giant hat tipis in a triangle formation
No of guests : 100
Supplier list :
Co-ordination - Devine Bride
Photography : Charlie Campey Photography
Band - Das Brass
Celebrant - Modern Ceremonies with Justine
Crockery Hire - Cameo Event Hire
Dress: Rue de Seine
DJ - Wedding Jam
Event staff - Ace Crystal Clear
Florist - Flower and Fern Studio
Food - Prairie Fire BBQ
Evening Toasties - Stinky Vintage
Generator / Heater / Chiller - Grizzly Bear
Ice - PSD Ice Art
Festoon lights - STL Event Production
Make up and hair - Amanda White Make Up
Nanny - Safe Sound Events
What made you decide to have a tipi wedding : We were due to get married in 2020, and wanted a relaxed wedding. Having it at James' mum's house meant we could curate exactly the atmosphere we wanted. The idea of a tipi felt cosy and less traditional than a marquee, and we loved how the vibe changed from it being open and airy in the day, to having the fire on and lights up in the evening.
Beautiful garden setting at James's family home.
Rustic flower roller display. It's all in the little details.
Did you originally have your wedding planned pre-covid: Yes, we were due to get married in May 2020, we moved it to September 2020 and then bumped it to May 2022 when we decided to try for a family. Keaton arrived June 2021 and was there on our special day, so despite the stress, everything worked out great.
Tipi interiors with rustic wooden tables and benches + central fireplace.
What mood/style did you want to create: We wanted the day to feel fun and relaxed, but also elegant and classy. I definitely think keeping things simple helped. Concentrate on a few things and do them well rather than trying to add too much. For example, we didn't need a million flowers - in front of the tipi, at the entrance etc, instead we wanted one striking arch. Same inside the tipi, you don't need to fill them with 'stuff' - keep it simple with nice stationary and a few personal touches, it makes them stand out.We wanted the guests to have a good time, it's better when everyone can relax, we worked hard at trying to create that atmosphere, whether that's through no dress code, singing a song, breaking out of the normal routine.
Hamish - furry wedding usher at the ready.
We noticed that a special furry friend was also very much part of your wedding day: Hamish is our Westie, he is seven and has been a big part of our family's life so it was great to have him there on the day.
Making a dash for it at the ceremony... he must have spotted the BBQ!
Best part of the day: We loved singing a song during the ceremony, it broke up the formality and took away the nerves, neither of us can sing a note but everyone enjoyed belting out a good tune and it set the day up.
Stunning boho flower arch by Flower and Fern Studio for the first kiss.
That just married feeling!
How to make an entrance - still singing and dancing!
How did you source your wedding suppliers: We did a lot of instagram searches, I like how you can see photos that have been tagged by other people, so you feel like you get the unedited version as well. Our band were local to where we used to live and we had seen them live a couple of times - in actual fact, they were the first thing we booked.
DA BRASS in the house!
Polished!
Hot stuff from Prairie Fire BBQ.
What type of food/catering do you have? We noticed lots of BBQ sauce on tables! We enjoying sharing food, we wanted people to feel as though they were in a relaxed restaurant, passing plates and bowls of chips to each other, enjoying food from the same platter. The BBQ food we had was simple, good meat done well. Everyone just wants comfy, hearty food especially when there is a day of drinking involved! We didn't have starters, because what do people really love? - bread and butter, everyone smashes bread and butter before a meal. So, make it good bread and even better butter and you have a happy wedding party!
Did you hire a wedding planner: We hired a wedding co-ordinator for the day, Laura Devine. She helped us with all the organisation on the day and the month before. I couldn't recommend her enough. As we booked all our suppliers separately, from the ice to the generator, the tipi to the DJ, the cutlery to the florist we wanted someone on site on the day to help deal manage everyone.
Stunning elegant table flower from Flower and Fern Studios.
JOY! Such a great shot - family is everything.
Baby teepee - this is just too cute!
Golden touch : I wore a gorgeous pair of gold Loeffler Randall shoes (gold goes with everything, so I have worn these shoes a lot since the wedding, unlike a pair of white ones) And I love Nike Air Max's, so it seemed only right to get a pair of gold ones to dance in, and it just so happened they came in a matching size for our 10 month old son.
Raising a glass to the bride and groom.
Marshmellow toasting around the tipi fireplace.
Party time!
Mirror ball magic.
Music and dancing seemed to play a big part at your wedding, from dancing at the ceremony to the arrival in the tipis : We love music, and the best weddings for us are where you can dance. We didn't leave the dance floor from 7-12 and loved every minute, We don't get to dance as much as we would like these days, and our friends feel the same, so to effectively have a night out, with all your best tunes on and all your mates together, it couldn't get much better. We worked on a top 25 list with our DJ and had a long list of banned songs. They weren't song that we necessarily hated, just ones that you hear all the time at weddings, and there are so many other absolute classics that we thought deserved some airtime. We had a rule, if a song came up and you thought 'oh this is my toilet break opportunity' then it shouldn't get on the list.
Hitting the tipi dancefloor in style.
What advice or top tips would you give to anyone planning an outdoor wedding: Get a wedding coordinator! Be happy with all your plans whatever the weather - be prepared
Georgina and James - May 2022